Criminal Justice System Essay

We Must Reform Our Criminal Justice System Essay
Hillary Clinton said, "We can do better. We can not ignore the inequalities that persist in our justice
system that undermine our most deeply held values of fairness and equality." She was correct in her
statement, we need to reform our criminal justice system because it is highly lacking in fairness and
equality. 2.38 million Americans are inprison, with another five million on probation or parole. 1
in 31 adults in the United States are in jail, prison, or on probation or parole. (Ferner) The
populations of our prison are increasing, while trust in law enforcers is declining, and if we want to
solve the inequalities we must reform parts of our criminal justice system. We should reform our
criminal justice system to fix the inequalities of mandatory sentences, bail, and we should create
reentry programs to help released inmates stay crime free.
In the past years we have seen many riots and debates over the racism and inequalities in our
criminal justice system. We have heard story after story, and watched video after video of police
brutality and racism in America. We saw the unfair outcome of the Zimmerman and Treyvon Martin
case. When George Zimmerman followed Treyvon Martin, a seventeen year old African American
boy who was walking around the neighborhood, just because he looked suspicious to him. Even after
notifying the police, Zimmerman followed Martin and ended up shooting him, after Zimmerman had
hung up with the dispatcher who told him they did not need him
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The Criminal Justice System Essays
The criminal justice system views any crime as a crime committed against the state and places much
emphasis on retribution and paying back to the community, through time, fines or community work.
Historically punishment has been a very public affair, which was once a key aspect of the
punishment process, through the use of the stocks, dunking chair, pillory, and hangman's noose,
although in today's society punishment has become a lot more private (Newburn, 2007). However it
has been argued that although the debt against the state has been paid, the victim of the crime has
been left with no legal input to seek adequate retribution from the offender, leaving the victim
perhaps feeling unsatisfied with the criminal justice process....show more content...
Braithwaite was working with offenders and victims and focusing on ways to reintegrate them back
into society through restorative means instead of going through the criminal justice system and the
stigmas attached to being labeled a criminal. Before Braithwaite began to develop this idea the
punitive justice and penitentiary system had been formerly established since the eighteenth century,
when before that informal control measures such as the church, saw communities police themselves
(Sharpe, 2002). However with the creation of Thames Valley police force in seventeen ninety–eight,
Britain's first official police force, crime and punishment now become a matter of the state rather
than just a community concern. This saw a change in how crime was perceived and criminals dealt
with as there were now trained professionals deciding on how best to punish the offender as well as
punishments becoming less corporate and more restrictive.
Newburn (2007) state that there are four forms of restorative justice practices victim–offender
mediation, family group conferencing as well as healing and sentencing circles and citizen panels. In
nineteen–seventy the first official victim– offender mediation programme was established in Canada
through a Christian sect with the purpose of aiding the healing of the victims through bringing them
together with the offenders and hopefully resolving an appropriate solution. The offender
acknowledging

Criminal Justice System
Jean H. Blanc
CRJ 100
04/30/2013
Prof. McCarty
Abstract
According to Shae Irving, the word "criminal" is describe as "the society's belief that certain act are
unacceptable and that any perpetrator should be punish" [ (Irving, 2008) ]. Enter the American
Criminal Justice System. This paper will give a brief description of the Criminal Justice System and
its purpose, and describe the key component of this system. It will also discuss the purpose and
function of each component and their main responsibilities.
Definition and goal. As described by author Frank Schmalleger, the criminal justice system is "the
aggregate of all operating and administrative or technical support agencies...show more content...
Dr Schmalleger (2011) added that the courts also have for responsibilities to provide check on the
exercise of power by other justice system agencies. Correctional Agencies. Correctional agencies are
all those in correction and they include prison, probation, jail, parole, community–based sanction
such as house arrest and electronic monitoring. Their primary purposes are to punish, rehabilitate,
and to ensure public safety [ (Shilton, 1992) ]. Responsibilities as stated by Professor Daly (2012)
are to hold people on remand, hold people who are sentence to a term of imprisonment, maintain
appropriate conditions for those in custody, provide activities that encourage learning and life skills,
prepare inmate for release. Conclusion. All three component of the criminal justice system have the
same main objective: to ensure the law is respected, and to punish the offenders while protecting the
right of citizens. Law enforcement officers will assess a crime first hand, conduct the proper
investigation and prepare a solid case. The case will then be discussed in court where the accused
will be evaluated by a jury of their peer in front of a judge. The court will ensure that the accused
individual's rights are respected, and enforce the sentence if the accused is guilty. If determined not
guilty, the court will then dismiss the charge. Finally, correctional agencies will carry out the
sentence imposed by the court.
References
Works Cited * Cliffsnote.com.

Criminal Justice System Essay
The America Criminal Justice system is viewed as a non–system for many reasons. First, there are
no single criminal system. The system is composed of many independent entities within all levels of
government. However, they overlap each other's for the common purpose of providing justice and
together, upholding the U.S. Constitution. This is the main reason for conflicts within the criminal
justice system due to different perspectives on processing persons accused of breaking the law
(Neubauer & Fradella , 2015). Each has their own goals, area of responsibilities, overseers and
funding which affects justice. The most visible systems in the U.S. criminal justice system is law
enforcement, courts, and corrections. It is the responsibility of...show more content...
The purpose of the courts is to continue due process proceedings, seek the truth and if a defender
is found guilty, punish. Conflicts between immediately since the U.S. court system is an
adversarial system. It is where two parties (the prosecutor and defense lawyer) attempt to
convince a judge or jury of an individual's guilt or innocence. Per the U.S. Constitution on criminal
proceedings, the accused is presumed innocence until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Therefore, it is responsibility of the prosecutor to meet the burden of proof of guilt as it is the
defense lawyer responsibility to maintain reasonable doubt to allow their client to go free. Each
must successfully convince the jury or judge on their case to beat the opposing side. If a defender is
found guilty in a court of law, the offender moves forward in the criminal justice system to
corrections. The purpose of corrections is to punish and rehabilitate offenders while protecting public
safety. Punishments can consist of prison, probation, rehab center and a variety of community
services. One of the conflicts between the corrections system and the courts system is the number of
offenders sent to prisons. Many prisons are overcrowded which has resulted in horrid living
conditions for the inmates. It is the responsibility of corrections to provide adequate living
conditions to inmates (with limited funds) while ensuring the public safety and justice is being

The Issues Of The Criminal Justice System Essay
Abstract
This research paper discusses the issues of people who suffer from mental illness being placed in
jails instead of receiving the necessary treatment they need. The number of inmates serving time in
jail or prison who suffer from mental illness continues to rise. In 2015 the Bureau of Justice
reported that sixty five percent of state prisoners and fourth five percent of federal prisoners suffered
from mental conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Individuals who suffer from
these problems require special mental health treatment for their needs to be met. Many of our
prisons and jails lack the necessary resources to care for these inmates and because of that inmates
who do not receive the treatment they need are at a higher risk of becoming a repeat offender.
Despite the research and findings that show that the criminal justice system is unable to deal with
issues dealing with the mentally ill there has been limited solutions put in place. Given the
challenges the criminal justice system faces it is important to address the problem and come up with
better solutions. This research paper will discuss the various techniques and solutions that scholars
have propped and their effect on the issue of mentally ill criminals and how the criminal justice
system should approach the problem.
Mental Disorders A mental disorder, also known as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a
diagnosis by a mental health professional of a behavioral or mental pattern

Justice And The Criminal Justice System Essay
When it comes to the criminal justice system, there is often a gray area between what is considered
fair and what is just, with these concepts many times having a connection. Furthermore, justice and
fairness are subjective and many times individuals' concept of what is fair or just differ. Throughout
a recent court case involving a Stanford University swimmer being charged with rape, that issue
became well evident. This case involved a Stanford student, Brock Turner, being charged with
sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on the school's campus behind a dumpster. The victim
who has chosen to remain unidentified read an empowering letter at Brock Turner's sentencing
hearing, addressing him and the affect his actions have made. Another letter was made public during
this case, which was written by the attacker's father and directed towards the judge during this
hearing; Which made an attempt to justify Brock's actions. These letters, media coverage of Brock,
and decisions made by the judge throughout this court process exemplified the dilemma associated
with deciphering between what is just and what one believes to be fair when it comes to a crime, and
how what may appear to be fair to one person may not be fair to another. January 17, 2015, was the
night two Stanford graduate students, Carl–Fredrick Arndt and Peter Johnson, were riding their
bikes through Stanford campus and observed a man on top of a woman behind a nearby dumpster.
These two men proceeded to approach

Problems And Solutions In Criminal Justice
The problems surrounding the criminal justice system range from a variety of issues in different
areas of the system. But i believe they are all connected back to a societal problem, that has to do
with a outdated philosophical notion "redemptive violence". I will break down each aspect, which i
find most troubling. I will cover problems between policing and peacekeeping, corrections options,
and the issue of redemptive violence which is a major issue in the philosophy of the criminal justice
system. These issues represent problems that have always been key topics when discussing
problems of ethics in criminal justice. Policing and Peacekeeping are roles that have long been
debated in usefulness to stopping crime. Corrections comes with the reality of incarceration having
little chance of success but more likely a higher rate of recidivism. I well also touch on briefly the
issues of attorney discretion. While the issue of redemptive violence ties them all in, As i well show
this philosophy is the "root of all evil" in the issues facing the criminal justice system.
The overall problem with our criminal justice system, I believe is that at its core it is founded on
the idea of redemptive violence, and that is because as a society we believe in this idea and
perpetuate it all the time. This is a concept as old a civilization and rottenly plays in most of are
media and fiction, even are daily thinking habits. The concept is

Essay about The Criminal Justice System
The Criminal Justice System
The Criminal Justice System is one of the most important tools available to society for the control of
anti–social behavior. The criminal justice system needs to prove a balance between punishing the
guilty and protecting the innocent being found guilty; however it is not as easy to convict those
who are guilty of committing crimes. There have been many miscarriages to justice where innocent
people were sent to prison. Many people have been affected by crime, this is due to statistics, which
show the various number of crimes committed in particular areas.
Crime statistics are compiled differently by different forces which is notoriously unreliable. There
are two...show more content...
Under the new rules, officers must record a crime anything that is reported as a crime. In the past,
if an officer thought that someone was lying (hoping for compensation perhaps) or thought that the
crime was not as major as murder for example, then he or she did not nee to record it. If the
Government do succeed in the new system of compiling statistics then crime statistics may become
increasingly reliable. This is because all crime is recorded, no matter how big or small the crime is.
However the statistics may not necessarily be entirely true, as many people may not report their
crime to the police. The majority of the crime not being reported is due to the fear within oneself,
or victims may not think that the crime they have been involved in was minor. Victims who are
scared are more likely to be those involved in domestic violence or other sort of abuse. If there
was a couple, and the husband regularly abused his wife, the wife would get scared to report this
to the police as she may believe that if her husband find out then he will take revenge and might
abuse her even more which may sometimes lead to extents such as murder. Or there maybe cases
where teenagers have been abused by bullies in school. They might be frightened to tell an adult, let
alone the police as

The Criminal Justice System Essay
The criminal justice system is composed of three parts – Police, Courts and Corrections – and all
three work together to protect an individual's rights and the rights of society to live without fear of
being a victim of crime. According to merriam–webster.com, crime is defined as "an act that is
forbidden or omission of a duty that is commanded by public law and that makes the offender liable
to punishment by that law." When all the three parts work together, it makes thecriminal justice
system function like a well tuned machine.
In this paper, I propose to talk about how all the three parts of the criminal justice system works
and also delve a little bit on the issue of racism in context of the criminal justice system as a lot of
...show more content...
The court is the second component of the justice system – once the suspect is arrested, s/he is
referred to as a defendant. It is now up to the court to decide if the police had enough evidence for
probable cause for arrest – if the determination is positive, then the defendant gets an opportunity to
plead innocent or guilty. Once the court establishes that the defendant is innocent, s/he is released;
on the other hand if the defendant is found guilty the court decides the type of punishment and then
the defendant is turned over to the Corrections for the follow up of the punishment.
While the defendant is in the custody, Corrections is responsible for probation, prison and parole.
When the defendant is found guilty and sent to prison, s/he will be housed away from society for a
given period of time and while in prison, corrections is responsible for humane treatment of the
defendant. Correction also takes up the responsibility of rehabilitation of that individual and tries to
make them productive members of the society. Based on their behavior, the

Components of the Criminal Justice System
Abstract
Components of the criminal justice system include the police, the court system and correctional
agencies. The definition, the function and examples of each component of the American criminal
justice system will be described. The criminal procedure and the processing of offenders will also be
described in details.
Components of the Criminal Justice System The criminal justice system consists of three main
components. Those components are polices, courts, and corrections. Each component will be defined
according to the American criminal justice system. The primary function of each component will
also be identified and two examples of each component will be given. The ultimate...show more
content...
What is the court system? What is the function of the court system? The court system is the system
where offenders are sentence for committing their crime. The function of the court system is to
issue punishment to criminals and ensure proper sentencing is given for crimes. Examples of the
court system are "Judge Judy" and "Judge Mathis". The images that "Judge Judy" and "Judge
Mathis" present are positive images. The stage that "Judge Judy" and "Judge Mathis" depict in the
criminal justices system are where the judge hears the arguments of the case at hand, the judge hears
both the plaintiff and defendant, and then the judge makes a decision on the case for which evidence
was presented in front of them. I think this a fair representation of the criminal justice procedure.
Having been chosen to be a juror on the grand jury, I know that the procedures listed above are how
the court system operates in Georgia. What is the corrections part of the criminal justice system?
What is the function? When one thinks of the correctional part of the criminal justice system, one
thinks of the jail and prison. The functions of the correctional institutions are to house criminals until
they go to court and to house inmates until their sentence is complete. When an offender goes to
prison, this is the last

The Justice System Essay
The Justice System
Looking into criminal justice procedure, many administrations are at work. Starting with the police,
to the courts and concluding in corrections. Though all these sectors have different tasks, their
combined focus is processing the law. Regardless what the process is called criminal justice will
continue to serve with discretion, conviction, and correction. When first presented with the question
whether criminal justice is a system, non–system, and network I leaned toward a network.
Throughout our discussions, lectures, and readings I felt the process presented itself as a network.
Intertwined divisions working for a common goal. Further into my research and help from Webster, I
decided that the criminal justice...show more content...
These departments involve everyone throughout the sequence of events in the criminal justice system
including lawyers, judges, police, criminals, victims, and the society in which this occurs. Every
action and repercussion is seen and felt by all involved in a particular case. This is why all of these
players in the game of law depend on the actions and results of one another.
This dependency arises from numerous situations and circumstances. The police depend on
convictions from the court to see results for their job. Each sector must rely on the outcome of trial
cases to proceed. Plea–bargaining is a great example. Three or more parties are involved, the
prosecutor and defense attorneys must present the best and most reasonable deal, from their
perspective, and the defendant must agree to the terms. In some cases a judge can be a contributing
factor. Society is the most dependent and most critical, always keeping the department on its toes.
Dependency in this case does have its benefits. It provides the system with a check and balance
system.
Considering again Cohn's arguments that the criminal justice process should not be defined as a
system he makes some strong points, that have strong counter points. In short he states this process
is a continuum through which each offender passes, from the police, to the courts, into prison and
then back onto the streets. He quotes

The Crime Of The Criminal Justice System Essay
The criminal justice system plays an important role in this society, it is meant to protect and serve.
This "system" is also meant to maintain the peace and enforce the laws set by the government.
However, the criminal justice system is not even close to perfect. It has many flaws, some of which
are: police brutality, death penalty, mass incarceration, gun violence, and especially wrongful
convictions. A majority of the flaws that the system has can be easily fixed and can be set straight.
For example, the issue of wrongful convictions has been relevant for quite some time and has the
potential to decrease its probability of occurring by focusing on the importance of scientific evidence,
rid of faulty witness testimonies, and make sure that the lack of evidence and/or government
misconduct, if applicable, does not determine the outcome of the case.
Being the victim of being accused and convicted for a crime, that you did not commit, can potentially
ruin your chances or cause many issues to live the life that you want. By definition wrongful
conviction is, "a conviction of a person accused of a crime which, in the result of subsequent
investigation, proves erroneous," (Duhaime). Within the topic of wrongful convictions, there are
many subtopics that explain why they happen and why they occur so often. DNA evidence, lack of
evidence, witness misidentification, and jury biases are all factors relating to the cases of
wrongfully convicted persons. DNA evidence helps match the

In the criminal justice system, the main goal of all three components is to deter crime and make sure
those who have been convicted of a crime serve their time. Each component of the criminal justice
system is broken down into different divisions. Within law enforcement, there is local, state, and
federal law enforcement. In the courts, there is the judge, prosecutors, and defense attorney. Lastly,
in corrections, there is probation, incarceration, and community–based corrections. Law enforcement
officials function to keep people from committing crime and apprehending those who do. The courts
then decide who is guilty or innocent. Finally, corrections is meant for the criminal to correct their
behavior.
The job of law enforcement is to investigate...show more content...
The purpose of this division is to provide the criminal a route to rehabilitate themselves and serve
their sentence. There are three different types of sentences a person can receive, probation,
incarceration, and community–based corrections. Probation allows the offender to return to the
community if not a harmful threat to society. They are given a parole officer that checks to make
sure they are following their rules given by the judge and not breaking anymore laws. If the
offender does not follow the rules it can lead to incarceration. Incarceration is a correctional
facility where an offender is sent to serve their time. The two incarceration places are jail or prison.
People go to jail for minor crimes or those with short sentences. Prison is for major crime offenders
and those will long sentences. The last option for criminals is community–based corrections. They
will be sent to a place that will provide them with the necessary care and preparation for returning
into the community. Some places include halfway houses, residential centers, and work–release
centers. People who do not pose a threat to society or need help that incarceration will not provide
will be sent to community–based corrections

How Is The Criminal Justice System Broken
The Criminal Justice system has been broken because it is very bias towards minorities. There is a
lot of discrimination from policing, to trial, to sentencing. The war on drugs and the war on poverty
defines the difference because the criminal justice system has always been harsh with minorities.
There are more than two million people in prisoned today. This is a multi–million business in
America and officers had imprisoned people for insignificant things, such as passing the traffic light,
and for not stopping at a stop sign. This is when the community feel betrayed by the police, they do
not trust them anymore. People's lives become miserable and many times the consequences people
face is to commit suicide.
Police officers had been trained

The criminal justice system is comprised of three several yet overlapping entities. These collective
yet separate entities are law enforcement, the judicial process, and corrections. All three of these
sections play their own role in the criminal justice system as well as a historical creation, culture and
an internal flow of their department. This consistency of inconsistency has generated another term
for the criminal justice system which is the "criminal non–system." The criminal non–stem is a direct
reflection of the inconsistency in laws fluctuating from county to count and state to state. This
inconstancy can also be reflected in the judiciary process where priorities may fluctuate from court
to court. This idea or concept of a non–system can also be seen in the corrections department as well
were prisons overall center of focus and end goal may be very different from that of a halfway
house or an early release program. all three of these individual programs are apart of corrections yet
they end state amongst one another is very different and their means of...show more content...
If you have a long personal relationship with a store owner and that relationship has gone sour in
the past with negative words and behaviors then you would be more then likely looked at as a
suspect if there is any vandalism reported on the storefronts property. The form of non–system I can
also be reflected in the history of society where there may have been racial prejudice in the past
current police and civilian relationships may be subject to external scrutiny and over–analytical
perspectives. Another non–system perspective on the law enforcement element of the criminal
justice system can be seen in a situation where society view on an individual incident and the law
enforcement actions used as a means to restore

Essay On The Criminal Justice System
Although, as Americans we would really like to think that our criminal justice system is the best in
the world but we may be mistaken. It seems that America has the best system throughout the
investigation, pre–trial and trial phases of the proceedings but after that, the criminal justice system
tends to start falling short. When someone is arrested and is charged with a crime in America, that
person is guaranteed certain protections that ensure that the legal proceedings will be fair and just.
Americans have the right to due process, the right to legal counsel, the right to a trial by jury of their
peers along with many other rights. However, the accused in many other countries do not have such
rights. Look how long the case of Amanda Knox...show more content...
That is an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 inmates incarcerated in the United States and once convicted,
it can take an average of 14 years before an inmate that is innocent to be exonerated. So many
innocent people end up serving their sentences, never to have their name cleared. Then as
Americans, we become angry because it takes so long to execute the truly guilty. This increases the
prison population because prosecutors offer plea deals for so many of the crimes and most times a
defendant in an effort to avoid the long trial process and lengthy sentence will accept what the
prosecutor is offering. We send people to prison that have committed heinous crimes and they are out
in no time and then we have the people that can be rehabilitated through programs but instead they're
spending maximum time for lesser crimes. The United States has the largest prison population in the
world per capita; the "3–strike laws", zero tolerance and mandatory sentencing guidelines has created
a massive prison population that is expensive to maintain. America spends about $75 billion a year to
maintain the prisons and jails and approximately $32,000 per year on just one inmate. That is just
for corrections alone and does not include court, attorney, and investigation costs or the cost of the
death penalty. Sure, America has the fairest investigation, pre–trial and trial

U.S. Criminal Justice System Essay
U.S. Criminal Justice System
In order to keep a safe society, it is important to establish a nation with good education to teach
people judging from right or wrong , excellent police force to keep our street safe, and most of all, a
good criminal justice system to carry out the justice. United States is a place with little crimes, a
nation with nice houses, beautiful beaches, and expensive shops without property just like what I
seen in the American movies in my opinion before I arrived here. The very moment I stood in my
dream street, Hollywood boulevard, I was shocked at the scenario. I then realized that this is a place
no different from other countries The United States has many problems too, especially in crimes and
its...show more content...
As I observe several years in the United States, racism do still exist in the United
States unlike what I though before coming here. It is impossible to get a fair trial for African
Americans who is being trial in a white neighbor and vice versa. This weakness of this U.S. criminal
justice system has cause many problems that the jury system must be reformed. A rule should
always be modified and updated along with the change of the time and society, and jury system is
one of the rules that needs change.
Another major weakness in the criminal justice system of the United States I observed is the
slow speed of the process. Before coming to the United States, I never know it would take about
ten years for a death sentence to carry out. If any person is given death sentence and fail to appeal,
he should be executed right away without hesitation, instead of wasting tax payer's money on
feeding and keeping them alive. Trials are also taking too much time too; for an example, the
famous O.J. Simpson trial which took more than 1 year to get a conclusion.
The longer a trial takes, the more tax money is wasted. Over 10 million dollars spent on the O.J.
trial has been estimated While making sure any one won't be punished if he is innocent, the U.S.
criminal justice system should be change in such a way that it will speed up the process.
Another

Role Of The Criminal Justice System Essay
The role and purpose of the Criminal Justice System is to provide justice for all, which includes
convicting and punishing lawbreakers, encouraging, and assisting offenders rehabilitate and to cease
their criminal behaviour whilst protecting the innocent and law–abiding members of the public.
They are obliged to analyse good quality ethnicity data that has been collected and use it to identify
and address Race issues within the CJS. Additionally, they are tasked to promote and enforce
recovery of criminal assets ensuring that crime does not pay. This ethos upholds the common belief
that there are social and moral codes in place that every member of society is expected to conform
and adhere strictly to for fear of prosecution and punishment. There have always been lawbreakers
and will continue to be, even with potential punishment for wrongdoing. The legal systems in place
to address these "Criminals" has varied considerably through the ages; however the system has only
been regimental and organised in practice for a few centuries, during which time, unpaid
individuals became salaried officers who were given uniforms, truncheons, and handcuffs. These
officers had designated roles and responsibilities to fulfil. This being a far cry from previous history
which saw officials of the courts in unpaid positions and families punished for accused members
failing to attend the Court hearing. The CJS is the power being responsible for the detection and the
bringing of the offenders to

Consensus Model Of Criminal Justice
There are three significant issues concerning law enforcement, namely enacting the law, police
discretion, and assessment of criminal behavior. Different entities create and enact laws that are
specific for the societies those laws represent. In the United States the criminal justice system is
broken down into two models, the Consensus model and the Conflict model. The procedure of
achieving justice is comprised on three basic levels: policing, justice, and corrections. The two
models of criminal justice system are influenced by a plethora of factors. The first model is the
consensus model. The consensus model is the belief that the majority of citizens in a society share
the same shared values and beliefs. An example of this...show more content...
To illustrate this imagine that two men get into a fight in Times Square. A nearbypolice officer
notices the disturbance and attempts to separate the two men instead of arresting them on the
spot. In this hypothetical situation the police officer needed to use discretion to decide how to
best handle the situation. At times however, police discretion causes more problems than it
resolves. There have been reports of police being called to a scene were a husband is being
extremely aggressive towards his wife. The police feel as the situation that is occurring is not
severe, and therefore leave the scene. The next day, the police station receives a call that there was
a homicide. As they arrive to the scene, the police realized it was the same couple from day before."
The report details in–depth reviews of 84 cases in which 135 people died, including some instances
of homicide–suicide – cases when abusers killed victims as well as themselves. In 48 of those 84
cases, police had previously responded to a domestic–violence call"– (WA Report: Criminal–Justice
System Fails Domestic–Violence Victims). At times the unfettered use of discretion can lead to the
denial of citizen rights, at times the unfettered use of discretion can lead to the denial of citizen
rights, and cause many flaws in the justice system; for example, many communities might have
different definitions of what constitutes criminal behavior or what

The Criminal Justice System: A Case Study
Introduction
There are so many issues in how the American system deals with victim participation in sentencing.
As Schmalleger (2015) states, "the victim is often one of the most forgotten people in the
courtroom" (p. 308). Indeed, the victim of a crime sits in the courtroom and listens to the trial,
verdict, and resolution. However, the victim does not take part actively in the trial process
(Schmalleger, 2015). Why does the victim have such a passive role in the criminal justice system?
Background
The contemporary view of the nature of crime places the victim in a passive role relative to a
criminal act (Godfrey & Lawrence, 2015). As Godfrey and Lawrence (2015) imply, " this is not to
say that victims are marginalized or ignored [...] but rather...show more content...
However, opinions and needs of the victim are still subordinated to the opinions of the judge, the
police, and the court and to the needs of the society in which the victim lives. In fact, nowadays,
many professional courtroom participants still believe that the victim's psychological state may
alter the objective final decision of the court. In other words, the victim seems a "private party"
whose interests come after the public interest (Doak, 2005) because the traditional criminal system
views crime as an offense against society (Doak, 2005) and not as a dispute between the victim and
the offender. The best solution, with the help of restorative methods and programs, is to create a
shift from a traditional legal system to restorative justice system to make crime not only an offense
against society but also a dispute between the victim and the offender (Doak,

Criminal Justice System Essay

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Criminal Justice System Essay